Balenciaga’s Latest Campaign is a Tribute to Kitschy Mall Portraiture and “Dadcore”

January 16, 2018

Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga has for the past few seasons been about turning what people usually think of as ugly, into pretty must-have items, or as Vogue calls it “finding-beauty-in-the-banal trends.” This has been evident in his clunky sneakers and bold-shouldered blazers and jean jackets the fashion it-crowds have been flaunting the during the F/W18 season.

For his Men’s Spring/Summer 2018 campaign, Demna reached out to photographer Robbie Augspurger, a Portland-based photographer who specializes in reviving the art of throwback portraiture, to shoot the campaign. Augsberger was not familiar with the luxury house prior to the three days he spent in Paris shooting the campaign. The awkwardly staged family portraits, set against vintage backdrops and paired with oversized clothing, suggest that Demna looked back to the 90s for inspiration. People are divided in their opinions, with some of the kinder feedback urging for Demna to be fired. Without taking sides, it’s clear that our favorite stylist, Lotta Volkova, is making the boxy cuts, wide-leg denim and pastel parkas, all point to the unfashionable-fashionable dadcore trend that was spurred by Balenciaga’s SS18 show featuring IRL dads. As a knock-on effect from the normcore aesthetic, Demna explicitly stated that his inspiration behind the collection was “young dads in the park with their kids.”

During the show in June the Norwegian model, Christoffer Fagerli, made a comeback down the catwalk with his own kids. But if that wasn’t enough, Christoffer, and the kids, are also featured in the campaign. So, despite the mix reviews, we are happy that Norway’s foothold in the industry is growing stronger.

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